My Favorite Finds

 

Shaun Groves:   "Take a kid out of poverty and fatherlessness and call him son. Fill up his cereal bowl every morning and he’ll still have problems. And they’ll seem like real problems to his five year-old newly-first-world brain. They are real. Discontent is a real problem no matter what causes it."


DogFur and Dandelions:   This post is a book review of The Sensational Scent of Prayer.  I have it in my Kindle for PC reader, but haven't read it yet.  After reading this review of it, I'm more eager to carve out time and get to it.  She says, "The Sensational Scent of Prayer is more devotional than Andrew Murray’s Lord, Teach Us to Pray, and a bit lighter reading than J. C. Ryle’s A Call to Prayer. But it is focused on Scriptural truth, and it stirs the heart to a deeper quality of communication with God. And it would be a worthwhile companion to any personal Bible study on prayer."


InCourage:  This I covet...  "Laying it all bare became pretty easy, so as others joined us, they followed suit. That’s the best part, the growing, the quirks of humanness, the loud kids, the way one disliked us at first, but he just kept coming, and we loved him into shape. We studied together and tried to work out the “one anothers.” We share food, time, and money with one another. We never stop telling the story, speaking the truth, to one another."



Fun, Free, Fall Stuff:  For the kids, or kids-at-heart!


Capturing Fall Foliage:  "Capturing the color of autumn is a unique window of opportunity for any photographer – vibrant colors can transform an otherwise mundane scene into a blanket of red, yellow, and orange hues."


For the Home:

     Homemade Facial Cleanser ~ I haven't tried this yet, but I'm going to.  I seldom feel confident that the products I use on my face are good for me; at least not the economical, grocery-store brands.
     Crafty Storage ~ Repurposing a cardboard box into pretty storage bins.


How the Fall Foliage is progressing...

I Can't Decide

...which rainy-day picture I like the best.

It has rained all day; a quiet, steady rain.  The leaves are shimmering and fluttering under the steady thrum of drops and, despite the overcast sky, it's bright outside.

Late to rise, we lazily had coffee (Joe with me, a surprise day off), poked around the web reading articles and catching up on social media and, in between the idleness, I managed to clean the kitchen and mop the floor.  That's enough productivity for one rainy day, right?

Sitting on the couch, I realized how pretty the colors looked between the drops and streaks on the window, so I grabbed the camera and took a few shots from the living and dining room windows, but I can't decide on a favorite, so I'm posting them all!

In some I like the colors better, in others I like the water drops better, and in others I like the streams better...

Dining Room - 1

Living Room - 1

Living Room - 2

Living Room - 3

Living Room - 4

Dining Room - 2

Dining Room 3

Living Room - 5

Living Room - 6

Dining Room - 4

For me, there's not one that melds all three; colors, drops and streams, just right.

Do you have a favorite?



Hmmm.  Anyway... I brought a box of work home.  I guess I'll get started on that (darn, I thought we had decided there had been enough meaningful work accomplished for one rainy autumn day...).

Oh!  And, it's a stay-in-your-PJs-all-day kind of day. That makes any kind of work more tolerable! Okay, here goes...

From Behind

Just a couple of pics of my sweet darlings...

Here is Aria playing with her friend, Fiona, at MOPS last Friday.  There are some really awesome toys they're discovering in that bin!

Oh. Hi, beautiful Fiona.  She just turned one on Sunday.  Don't you just love her little Pebbles hair-doo?  She's had LONG hair from the time she was born.

This precious boy was talking to his dad through the window while he worked on the motorcycle in the driveway.


That's all.

Just those two sweet things living life while Grandma watches.

The fullness of my heart - you can't imagine, nor can I adequately describe it.

They're joy immeasurable!




Okay... of the dozen videos I took this weekend, here's just one of each!


First, Kingson having a chat with grandma about her formerly noisy car...





And then, take a peek at this happy baby girl just up from her nap!

A Birthday Post

You had to know one was coming, right?!


Joe and I had a quiet morning at home with coffee, and on our way to the kids' house, stopped for breakfast (which, by that time, was really lunch) at the Windsor Diner.

The view from my seat at our booth (through a dirty diner window).

How diner-ish is this?!  The lovely sunflowers in a cottage cheese container, the diner essentials on the counter, and a vintage porcelain freezer.  I kinda' love it...

This man had no idea I photographed his sneakers... or his butt (which really, all I see is a wallet in a pocket)... but I thought the diner stools were cool.  I had just overheard the cook say that the diner just celebrated its 60th birthday.

Then we had a pleasant afternoon at Nic and Kristiina's with this little beauty.

And her busy brother.


After a couple of hours we went back home to change and meet them back at their house to go out to dinner.  I didn't get one shot of us in our finer dinner duds; not a one of us.

We had a delicious meal, though, at Jesse's in Hanover, NH.

Then BACK to the kids house again for cake.

As soon as I had arrived in the door earlier in the day, Kingston took me by the hand to escort me into the kitchen.  He wanted to show me the pancake that he and mommy had made for me.  Haha, no matter how many times we reminded him it was a birthday cake, he kept reverting back to the pancake reference.  Funny little sweetheart!

That's a pumpkin bundt cake with a maple glaze frosting.  Mmmmm, hello autumn yumminess!


I got birthday presents, too.

This beautiful bag, hand-made by Kristiina, was actually given to me the weekend prior.  They didn't intend to give it to me early, but Kingston spilled the beans that "mommy made grandma a purse." {grin} 

I slung it on my office door to snag a pic - I like all the white-bluey shadows.  It was late afternoon when the sun does pretty things with shadows.

A close-up.  Isn't my girl so talented?! And this was one of her first projects with her new machine.

On my birthday night, I also received an AWESOME art kit with acrylics, papers, brushes, tools, and a wood carrying case that converts to an easel for plein-air painting.  Oh my - it's a set a professional could own.  I'm going to have to take some classes to make this set worthy!

On Monday, a couple of students had caught wind (thank you Facebook) that it was my birthday and came in with a balloon and two little cannolis.  Mmmm, happy.

That night on my way home, I was stopped at a red light and noticed this sign out the window. 

Looks like someone else celebrated last weekend, too. 

What If Yash Wrote to Us?

As Blog Month at Compassion International winds down, our last blogger assignment is to write a letter as if we are the sponsored child writing to us, his sponsors.  So, if Yash wrote us a letter, maybe it would sound something like this...

Dear Joe and Pam,

As you know, I'm still very young and, therefore, don't always understand the full impact of my circumstances. My parents do their best to protect me from the hard things, but I can tell they struggle. Sometimes they are sad.

I know it was good, though, when Compassion International came to our community; and especially when you began to sponsor me. When my parents heard I had received sponsorship, they cried. But, it was different this time because they were smiling; they were crying happy. I was happy, too, and we hugged.

It makes me glad to regularly get to go to the Compassion center and play with other children in a safe environment. We have fun there and we laugh. I learn new games and have made friends. They feed us, too, food they tell me will help me to grow big and strong. 

I also get to hear stories about Jesus and we sing songs about him and for him. I'm learning what it means to pray. Right now, I'm just three years old, but when I get a little bigger and understand what it means to need a Savior, I'm going to ask Jesus into my heart, just like the older kids do. Right now, I'm just happy to know he loves me.

Your friend forever,
Yash

 

 

My Favorite Finds



The Connecticut River looking in the other direction (from last week), as seen from a window on the other side
 of the very long Cornish-Windsor bridge.  See the kayakers going under the train-tracks bridge?
Kristiina and I are going to do this in a week or two... an autumn excursion on the Connecticut River
...each of us in our own kayak ...and each of us with out own camera. Joy!

Ann Voskamp:  "...because there is a plan and there is a purpose and there is a God in heaven who didn’t just ink you onto the palm of His hands but etched your name right into Himself with nails and He’s hasn’t just got your number, He’s got your heart. He sees you, hidden in Him, and you aren’t ever forgotten because God can’t forget those right in Him. You’ve never missed the boat when you’re holding onto the Cross."


A Deeper Church:  "In a world where too many voices (from all sides) are hurling accusation and sarcasm and dogma, I’m praying for a church that will bend down. By this, I do not mean a church that merely speaks in kinder tones or has learned to paint a more cheery picture or has honed effective listening skills. Rather, I mean a church identified by tears more than edicts, a church that refuses the cold dichotomies wedded to much of our public discourse. A church living in tenderness."


Jeanne Damoff:  "I’ve known her only a couple of months, but it doesn’t matter. We commune as sister to sister, soldier to soldier, our connection immediate and soul deep. She, too, has a story of beauty from brokenness, and she laughs with the freedom that comes from knowing nothing can separate her from God’s love. No stranger to pain, darkness, and hope-waiting-long, she lives in the tension of already-but-not-yet, confident in her assurance that all things must serve His purpose."


Perfect Pot Roast:  I made The Pioneer Woman's version of pot roast this week - or something reasonably close to it.  It's not the first time... and Joe has always enjoyed it, but this time, he said it's the best pot roast he thinks he's ever tasted.  I don't know what I did differently, except instead of using plain 'ol beef broth, I had some left over broth in the freezer from the last time I made pot roast.  I used that instead and it must have really enhanced the flavors - he said it was seasoned perfectly.  So, check out that link... and when you make it, be sure to reserve any left over broth for the next time! (It makes awesome gravy, too... and the leftover meat and carrots? Pot pie!)


Helpful Hints for Home -

     Marking Your Leftovers... easy-peasy.
     Decorating for Fall... appropriate for this first day of autumn.
     Laundry Room Storage... easy makeover - good ideas.



I've been humming this song all week.  Mmm, maybe more like two weeks...  It's good music.





It's my birthday today and, apparently, my family plans to spoil me.  Breakfast at the kids' house, dinner at a restaurant in Hanover, and in-between... I don't know exactly yet, but Joe has said, "we have plans."

Be blessed!


A peek at Fall Foliage...

Compassion, Pinterest and a Contest

As you know by now, it's Blog Month at Compassion.  That means they give weekly assignments to Compassion Bloggers so we can help spread the word about sponsoring children in poverty.

This week's assignment has to do with a Pinterest Contest.

We're instructed to create a "My Sponsored Child" pinboard on Pinterest, and then post a picture of ourselves holding a picture of our sponsored child (or a letter we received from them).

Well, we've been sponsoring Yash for such a short time, that we have not received a tangible photo of him yet, nor have we corresponded.

I did, however, capture an image of him from Compassion's website, and my darling, PS savvy daughter created this photo for me.  We already had a photo of me holding the frame for another project she's working on, so she added Yash to it.

Yay, I love it.  Thank you, Kristiina!

Anyway, back to that contest... Maybe you're not a blogger... and maybe you already sponsor a child...

Well!  You can help spread the word, too, via your Pinterest account (don't have an account?  Just go to www.pinterest.com for details on how to get one.)  Once you're a pinner, go here to follow their instructions for what to do with your "My Sponsored Child" board.

And if you don't sponsor a child yet, you can also enter the contest by sponsoring a child via compassion.com/my-sponsored-child during the contest period. You will receive 30 contest entries for each child you sponsor.

All winners will be chosen randomly.
Ten separate sponsors will win a $25 gift for their sponsored child.
Five separate sponsors will win a $100 gift for their sponsored child’s family.
The contest runs from Sept. 17 to 23, 2012.

Not ready to commit to all this?  You can still help Yash win those dollars (and spread the word about Compassion's mission) just by going to my pin board and repinning this:

 

Yash and I would be grateful!



Okay... let's get pinning!

Fun at the World's Fair

The Tunbridge World's Fair, since 1867.  That's where we went on Saturday.  It had been some time since we went to a fair.

Did you know the "cover charge" is up to $13.00 per person.  All that will do is get you in the gate.

Oh well, we had fun.   Check it out...

Just tiny hints of fall color, so far.

They had a decent-sized section of antique farm equipment - not just on display, but that they demonstrated.  It was interesting.

Ah, this is the view you get when you're at the World's Fair in New England.  Lovely.

Oh yes... and now we're starting to talk about rides!  The Super Slide was one of my favorite fair rides and I was asking Kingston if he wanted to go with me.

Daddy first.

Then Grandma's turn! 
We had a plan in motion, and before our mat was completely stopped, he was scrambling up, exclaiming...

"Grandpa's turn!" 

That was fun!

Next, Mommy and Daddy took Kingston on the Ferris Wheel.

"Wave to Grandma..."

"Hi, Grandma!"   Oooo, you can't tell because I pulled it in tight, but they were way up there for that one.

Aria waited with Grandpa.

And with the kids' friend, John.

Then... a ride on the big trucks!

Whoa, colorful sun flare...  "Hi, Kingston!"

We took an intermission on the hill.  Kingston had fun rolling down...

...again and again.

 Aria was fed and Grandpa enjoyed the cool grass and sunshine.

 "What's my brother doing back there?"  He's still rolling down that hill, Aria.

The Merry-Go-Round, with all the pretty horses.  We didn't ride it this time, though.

Next stop was the petting zoo.  This wooly pair is waiting for their turn in the judging arena.

And Symphony, the pretty cow, was so happy to be scratched and pet.

And while the fair seemed to be 75% food vendors (really), I did not eat one morsel of it.  I'm not remotely enticed by fair-food.

Instead, we stopped for pizza and took it to John's who lives nearby.

"Goodbye, crowd."  (And that is NOT where we stopped for pizza!)

Super fun and beautiful day.